Leather-working machine.



No. 644,479. 4 Patented Fh. 27, 1900. -J. H. TURF & E. vosaunen. LEATHERWORKING MACHINE.

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No. 644,479. Patented Feb. 27, I900. 'J. H. TOPP &'E-. VOSBURGH. LEATHERWORKING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 21, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WWA dances/. Top Zola/av No. 644,479. Patented Feb. 27, I900.

J. H. TOP P"&. E. vossuns'u.

LEATHER WORKING MAGHINE.

v (Application filed Nov. 21, 1899.] (N0,Model.) 3 Sheets8heet 3.

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JAMES H. TOPP AND ED\VIN VOSBURGH, OF JOIINSTOVN, NEW YORK.

LEATHER-WORKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 644,479, dated February27, 1900.

Application filed November 21, 1899. Serial No. 737,795. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES H.TOPP and ED- WIN VosBURcH, citizens of theUnited States, residing at J ohnstown, in the county of Fulton and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLeather- WVorkin g Machines; and we do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to machinery for working skins, hides, leather,and kindred material required to be softened or rendered pliable orflexible by manipulation.

The machine is chiefly designed for staking or breaking leather,although its construction is such as to admit of a variety of operationsin the treatment of hides, skins, and leather.

Fora full description of the invention and the merits thereof, and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result, reference is to be had to the following.description and the drawings hereto attached.

\Vhile the essential and characteristic features of the invention arenecessarily susceptible of modification-,still the preferred embodimentof the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine constructed in accordancewith the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear View.Fig. 4 is'a central longitudinal section. Fig. 5 is a detail .view inelevation of the cam for the adjustable end of the flexible apron,showing the relation of the actuatingsprings. Fig. 6 is a detailperspective View of the outer end of an arm carrying a blade. Fig. 7 isa view of the parts shown in Fig. 6, illustrating the means for adjustably connecting the blade with the arm; Fig. 8 is an end perspectiveView of the blade.'

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The base for the superstructure comprises sills 1 and cross-beams 2.Posts 3 risefrom the sills at an intermediate point and are stayed bythe braces 4 and cross-timber 5. A

shaft 6 is journaled in bearings provided at the upper ends of the posts3 and is adapted to be driven from a suitable source of power by meansof a belt (not shown) passing around a band-pulley 7, applied to theshaft 6, the latter carrying the staking mechanism. An up right 8 risesfrom the front cross-beam 2 at about a middle point, and an upright 9 islocated at a corner of the base. A cross-bar 10 connects the upper endsof the uprights and is about equal in length to the front timber 2 anddisposed parallel therewith, a vertical bar 11 connecting the terminalof the bar 10 with the adjacent corner of the base and having teeth 12at its upper end. Ooncaves 13 have their ends secured, respectively, tothe cross-bar 10 and cross-timber 5 and are transversely spaced apart attheirinner longitudinal edges about five or six inches and are stiifenedat their edges by means of strips 14, having their upper edges madeconcave to come flush with the supporting-surfaces of the beds 13. Theconcaves 13 form beds or supports for the material to be treated, andtheir upper surfaces are practically concentric with the shaft 6. Thespace between the concaves or beds 13 is occupied by an apron 15, offlexible material, preferablystout leather, one end being attached tothe upper end of the upright 8 and the other end to a cam 16, mountedfor movement upon a shaft 17. This apron 15 sags between its ends andapproximates the concavity of the beds 13 and supports the materialagainst the action of the stakingblades.

The hide, skin, leather, or like material to betreated is placed uponthe beds 13 and the apron 15 andis subjected to the action of thestaking mechanism. The material is shifted to bring every portion inposition to be operated upon by the staking mechanism, and in order toallow for variation in thickness the apron is adapted for adj ustment tovaryits sag. This is effected by turning the cam 16 about its axialsupport, a downward movement of the rear end of the cam serving totighten the apron and an upward movement of said end serving to permitthe apron to sag to agreater extent, as will be'readily understood. Afootlever 18, pivotally connected at its rear end with the rearcross-timber 2, extends longitudinally of the frame and is connectedwith the rear end of the cam 16 by means of a stout contractile spring19, and a downward movement of the free end of said lever 18 tends toopen the spring 19 and to depress the rear end of the cam 16, wherebysag in the apron 15 is taken up and the staking mechanism caused to actwith greater force upon the material in position to be treated. Areturnspring 20 connects the front or opposite end of the cam 16 withthe cross-timber 5, its purpose being to depress the front end of thecam when the front end of the foot-lever 18 is elevated. The free end ofthe foot-lever 18 is expanded to provide a rest for the foot and isconnected by means of a rod 21 with a transversely-disposed hand-lever22, pivoted at one end to the upright 9 and having its opposite endformed with a cog or lip 23 to engage with any one of the series ofteeth 12 of the rod 11, so as to hold the foot-lever 18 in the adjustedposition. A keeper 24 is applied to the front side of the upright 8 andreceives the lever 22 and prevents casual displacement of the cog 23from the engaging tooth 12. The rod 21 is adjustably connected with thefootlever 18 to suit the convenience of the operator. A spring 25connects the free end of the foot-lever 18 with the upper portion of theupright 8 and is provided to return the said lever to a normal positionwhen liberated by disengaging the lip 23 from the teeth 12.

Oppositely-disposed arms 26 project radially from the shaft 6, and theirouter ends are expanded and terminate in concavo-convex heads 27, towhich are fitted blades 28 of corresponding shape, the outer or activeends of said blades being of convex'out-line to prevent injuriouscontact thereof with the material beingtreated. The blades 28 areformed, preferably, of blanks of sheetsteel transversely curved betweentheir longitudinal edges and formed with spaced longitudinal slots 29,which receive the bolts or fastenings 30, by means of which said bladesare adjustably connected with the heads 27, so as to allow for wear. Theheads 27 of the arms 26 are outwardly flared to provide an extendedbearing for the blades 28 and are formed with openings in relation withthe slots 2.), so as to receive the fastenings 30.

In the practical operation of the machine the shaft 6 is rotated bypower applied to the band-pulley 7 in any convenient manner, and thehide or material to be treated is placed upon the beds 13 and apron 15and is moved so as to bring every portion in position to be acted uponby the blades 28. The effective distance between the apron 15 and theextremities of the blades 28 can be adjusted by moving the cam 16 eitherby pressing downward upon the outer end of the lever 18 with the foot orby moving the outer end of the lever 22 downward by a combined action ofthe two levers. Then the position of the apron is attained, it is fixedby bringing the tooth or lip 23 of the lever 22 into engagement with theteeth 12. The apron 15 being flexible yields to a certain extent,whereby injury to the material under treatment is obviated, and the sameresult is attained by the yielding connection with the cam 16 and thelever 18, said connection or spring 10 yielding to permit the apron togive in the event of the thick portion of the material being engaged bythe blades or staking mechanism, thereby obviating injury to themachine, as well as to the material operated upon. It is to beunderstood that the apron-adjusting mechanism may be located at eitherend, or for convenience it is disposed in the manner set forth.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. Inmachinery for working leather and the like, and in combination with astaking mechanism, an apron, a tension device havin g one end of theapron connected therewith, and mounted for tilting movement, anoperating-lever, a spring positively connected at its ends with,respectively, the tension device and the operating-lever, and means forholding the lever in an adjusted position to vary the tension of thesaid connectingspring and apron, substantially as set forth.

2. In leather-working machinery of the character described and incombination with a staking mechanism, a tension-regulating device at oneend of the apron and connected therewith and mounted so as to turn aboutan axial support, an operating-lever, a spring connecting the tensiondevice with the operating-lever, and a second spring disposed forreturning the tension device to a normal position when theoperating-lever is released, substantially as specified.

3. In leather-working machinery and in combination with a stakingmechanism, an apron, a pivotally-mounted tension device disposed to varythe relation of the apron with reference to the staking mechanism, anoperating-lever, a spring connecting said lever with the tension device,a hand-leveroperatively'connected with the first-mentioned lever, and aspring for returning the parts to a normal position, substantially asset forth.

4. In leather-working machinery, staking mechanism including an armhaving its outer end flattened, outwardly flared and transverselycurved, a blade transversely curved and having its edge made rounding orconvex and formed with parallel slots, and fastenings adjustablyconnecting the blade with the outer end of the aforesaid arm,substantially as described.

5. A machine of the character described, comprising a base, uprightsforming the base, staking mechanism applied to the upper ends of theuprights, a cross-timber connecting the uprights, concave bedstransversely spaced and having their lower ends attached to thecross-timber, an apron located in the space formed between said beds, apivotally-mount- In testimony whereof we affix our signatures inpresence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. TOPP. [L. s.] EDWIN VOSBURGH. [L. s] \Vitnesses:

F. E. MOYER,

A. E. FOLLETT.

